DEJA VU AGAIN
What? Long-tailed Ducks again? Everyone else is out seeing Snowy Owls, but the Snowy hasn't "called my name" so I must make do with my regulars. Besides, for neophytes like myself, I wanted to illustrate that not all Longtails have long tails. That's right. About 50% of the population have short tails.
Like the male of many species, the male is adorned with extra accessories possibly designed to attract the opposite sex, or in some cases to repel the similar sex. Meanwhile, the female is basic and plain, but attractive in her own right. No extra accessories and usually a very plain paint job. In the human species, that has resulted in a multi-billion dollar industry in a variety of feminine products and procedures aimed at making the female more attractive. As in many traditional cultures, the female repects her designated role and stays behind the male. As an associate would say, "She went to wife-training school." DUCK DREAMS The little Cooper's Hawk at Deep Bay was savoring a possible duck dinner, but unfortunately, the ducks were all much too large to handle. ON THE ROCKS Any time you see ducks on the rocks at Qualicum, it's a good bet that they are Harlequins. They are usually found near the bird viewing stand at the north end. JUST LOOKING The Great Blue Heron at the Courtenay Airpark had a good look at the salmon carcass but decided to look for something a little fresher. Meanwhile, a few Mallards weren't too fussy as they dined on another carcass. The Airpark had the aroma of a fertilizer plant with salmon carcasses decorating the riverbank at low tide. FINALLY, A SNIPE! I've come close to stepping on a couple of Wilson's Snipes since I started birding, but never even had a chance to point my camera at one. I finally got my chance at the Airpark Lagoon as 6 of them were foraging along the perimeter of the lagoon. They were extremely wary and kept their distance, but a few distant shots in marginal lighting were better than no shots at all. The Snipe were amazingly quick once they landed. They would scoot into the deep grass and disappear of fly again. A PHOTOGRAPHIC CHALLENGE Like the Bufflehead in the last Journal, it is dificult to capture the sheen of the dark colours without blowing out the whites on the male Common Goldeneye. If I had time, I could reduce the contrast but, by then, the duck would be long gone. A CAR BLIND I was able to quietly sneak up to the edge of San Malo Mudflats in the car to catch the male Green-winged Teal doing its grooming. I've never been able to get closer out of the car. The Teal was drinking in this photo, but that seemed part of the grooming process. After its grooming and stretching, the male cosied up to its harem of girlfriends for an afternoon snooze. MAST ATTACK It seemed like every boat mast at French Creek was taken over by Double-crested Cormorants. The fishermen weren't too happy as the Cormorant droppings are an effective paint remover. SNACK TIME I spotted a bunch of cormorants feasting on a school of minnows behind a fish boat. I managed one lucky shot in between some rigging and pilings. DRYING TIME After a lot of diving and feeding, it was time to dry the wings again. NANAIMO - BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE SAVE-ON FOODS (WOODGROVE) SAVE-ON FOODS (COUNTRY CLUB) CHAPTERS FALCONER BOOKS COLE'S PORT ALBERNI - CLOCKTOWER GALLERY COURTENAY - GRAHAM'S JEWELLERS SAVE-ON FOODS SIDNEY - VICTORIAN BIRD HOUSE COMOX - BLUE HERON BOOKS BOWSER - LIGHTHOUSE GIFTS DEEP BAY - SAANICH - WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED VICTORIA - BOLEN BOOKS MUNRO'S CAMPBELL RIVER - CAMPBELL RIVER MUSEUM BOOK BONANZA SAVE-ON FOODS DUNCAN - VOLUME 1 BOOKSTORE CHEMAINUS - LITTLE SHOP OF NOVELS LADYSMITH - SALAMANDER BOOKS NANOOSE - SCHOONER COVE MARINA SOOKE - SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE
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